Autocar reviews the BMW E82 1M coupe and pits it against the Porsche Cayman R

We tried to stay optimistic about Autocar's view of the 1M but it sure was hard when they claim the 1M is a return to a traditional raw M car and that one could argue this is the car BMW has been longing to build since the E30. They state the E36 was too broadly focused. Did they forget the E36 M3 actually weighs 150 pounds less than the 1M? Did they forget the E36 M3 had a naturally aspirated motor with individual throttle bodies offering up greater response? Did they forget BMW made an E36 M3 lightweight which was far more raw than the 1M ever will be? Autocar, don't talk down on the E36 or make E30 comparisons with a car that weighs 500 pounds more than the original M3 which was built with racing in mind, not profits.

Ok, fine, they think this is a proper M car worthy of tradition. What about how it stacks up to the Cayman R? Well, they state the Cayman R is ultimately the more satisfying drive being lighter and more focused. They state the 1M easily pulls away from it though which doesn't make sense to us. The Cayman R is available with PDK, the 1M isn't. A PDK Boxster S has run 12.6 in the 1/4 mile. It is safe to say the Cayman R with the PDK gearbox being 400 pounds lighter will have the straightline in its favor. Claiming the 1M "tears it to shreds" is absurd, the torque of the 1M went to the reviewers heads. Even the 6 speed Cayman R should make it a drivers race.

The E36 is not a very raw car, one of the main differences between it and the E30 it replaced was the use of a lot more rubber in the suspension. This is why a lot of E36 owners consider E30 control arms etc. to be a worthwhile upgrade. The E36 was designed mainly to be more comfortable and spacious than the E30, not necessarily any more sporty which it wasn't.

As for torque going to their heads, I know exactly how they feel. Parked in the garage right next to my 135i is our 2006 Carrera S (to refresh your memory it's 355 horsepower and 295lb/ft) if you race both cars in a straight line, I'm sure the several hundred pounds lighter Porsche would win (we've never raced the two) but the BMW feels quite a lot faster until you get the Porsche above 4,500RPM. At the end of the day I'd take the car that throws me into my seat harder since that's more fun, who really cares how fast a car covers a 1/4 mile. Are you timing your daily commute or trying to paint a grin on your face?

That's my take on this, I couldn't care less which of those two cars won the comparison I'd be glad to own either but if our Porsche and 135i are any indication, the P car will be 5-10% more satisfying in the hands of a capable driver on a smooth road but the Bimmer will be about a hundred times more satisfying as a daily driver. Out of all our cars the 911 is driven by FAR the least, sometimes no one touches it for a week but my 135i has had 15,000 miles put on it in under a year.

The E36 is not a very raw car, one of the main differences between it and the E30 it replaced was the use of a lot more rubber in the suspension. This is why a lot of E36 owners consider E30 control arms etc. to be a worthwhile upgrade. The E36 was designed mainly to be more comfortable and spacious than the E30, not necessarily any more sporty which it wasn't.

I don't think the E36 is more raw than the E30 by any stretch but acting like the 1M is some raw sports car when it weighs almost as much as an E46 M3? And has more creature comforts / driver assists? And the E46 M3 CSL and the E36 M3 lightweight are both lighter and both will offer a more connected and responsive experience.

The writer seems to suffer from amnesia since he omits much more focused BMW cars that have come in between the period of the E30 up until now.

Originally Posted by Remonster

As for torque going to their heads, I know exactly how they feel. Parked in the garage right next to my 135i is our 2006 Carrera S (to refresh your memory it's 355 horsepower and 295lb/ft) if you race both cars in a straight line, I'm sure the several hundred pounds lighter Porsche would win (we've never raced the two) but the BMW feels quite a lot faster until you get the Porsche above 4,500RPM. At the end of the day I'd take the car that throws me into my seat harder since that's more fun, who really cares how fast a car covers a 1/4 mile. Are you timing your daily commute or trying to paint a grin on your face?

I agree with you but the problem is Autocar states the 1M "tears it to shreds" referring to the Cayman R and straightline speed. That is just plain freaking ABSURD.

Dude 1M seems a decent car, honestly i would prefer 1M over Cayman R because it's a mid engined car in other words pain in ass. in twisty road a Cayman R is more fun, but first you have to drive in street cars to get to twisty roads, and that's the problem.
as far as the performance i think they are right, 1M can pull a manual Cayman R but not the PDK.

The 1M can never be better than the E36 M3, it shouldn't even be in the same sentence. Comparing it to the E30 M3 is even more ridiculous. These people have absolutely 0 sense of M history.

I'm sorry, but history really doesn't mean $#@! in this case. Kind of like with mert, don't care about the history, just care about the performance. Thinking the 1M can never be better than the e36 m3 because one came before the other, even if the 1M outperforms it, now that is sipping the kool-aid.

I'm sorry, but history really doesn't mean $#@! in this case. Kind of like with mert, don't care about the history, just care about the performance. Thinking the 1M can never be better than the e36 m3 because one came before the other, even if the 1M outperforms it, now that is sipping the kool-aid.

Mert shouldn't be mentioned with this either.

History doesn't mean anything? Oh yes it does when we are evaluating if this car is worthy of the M badge. The only way to make your decision is to take M history into account so it matters by default.

My reasoning is not that the 1M can never be better than the E36 because the E36 M3 came before it. It is because the E36 M3 was a better M car.

The S50B32 for 1996 was out of this world. 3.2 liter, ~320 horsepower, 11.3:1 compression ratio with a redline of around 7600 rpm? Individual throttle bodies? A motor not shared with any "entry level" cars? Perfect 50/50 weight distribution, manual transmission, lightweight, no major driver assists, now THAT is why it is better. Not to mention a long production run with several variants including a lightweight, GT, and evolution model.

The 1M will never approach ANY of that being a 1 hit wonder and also not having anything really to differentiate it from a 135. Same motor, some M3 bits thrown in, and you are telling me this is the equal of a storied M3 production run? Let alone the first M3 with a high revving inline 6? And a car that was picked as the BEST handling car in the world vs. competition like the F355, 911, NSX, and Viper?

People are salivating over it because it is new, that's all. Short term memories at work, calling the E36 M3 soft with broad appeal and that the 1M is "raw" is idiotic. The 1M has a LONG way to go before it ever deserves to put up on the pedestal of M greats and from what I see, it will never get there or deserve to be there:

The 1 M is definitely not raw, I agree with you on that point. In the same way the E9x M3 isn't very raw either, but it is a lot better than a standard 3 series and this 1 M is definitely going to be a lot better to drive than my standard 1 series.

Simply adding M3 front control arms and bushings transformed the way my car turns in, increased steering feel and made the car much more enjoyable to steer.

Also, I think you and I both know I meant the US E36 M3 which basically had a stroked 328i motor with ITBs and cams and some other modifications, it's better than the 1 M's engine which is literally the same as before with a lighter flywheel but it wasn't a thoroughbred M effort either. BUT that didn't stop it from being a great motor, I've driven tons of stock and modded E36 M3s and I absolutely love them.

Also, I think you and I both know I meant the US E36 M3 which basically had a stroked 328i motor with ITBs and cams and some other modifications, it's better than the 1 M's engine which is literally the same as before with a lighter flywheel but it wasn't a thoroughbred M effort either.

On this point I wholeheartedly agree.

Some benefits to the US S50 though when going forced induction though but yes, as a factory M effort, it was lacking as well although not to the degree the 1M is.

Very impressed with your ability to type two numbers, a letter, and a symbol to get your complex and sophisticated opinion across.

So am I.

Works quite well, doesn't it?

I love almost everything about this car except for that fact that they didn't take the time to modify any engine hardware besides the cooling systems. In reality it doesn't matter because my cars are a constant work-in-progress and it will likely be running a very different turbo setup in a few years.